


Presents for Severus Snape

by LeaderOfTheShadows



Series: The Dark Lord and I [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Alternate Universe - Crack, James Potter Lives, Lily Evans Potter Lives, M/M, Sane Tom Riddle, Severus Snape and Tom Riddle relationship, Sirius Black Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 08:38:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15215279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeaderOfTheShadows/pseuds/LeaderOfTheShadows
Summary: Remind Severus Snape to never try to save Lily's and her family's lives again... this wasn't what he bargained for when he tried to do the right thing. ("sane" Tom/Sev ship later, be warned! And it's a crackfic - I think...)+ I have to dedicate this to my dear friend BeyondHope, who pretty much gave me the prompt for this. Hope you like it, darling! XOXO





	Presents for Severus Snape

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elyrian_XIII](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elyrian_XIII/gifts).



Okay, Severus Snape was in love with Lily Evans, once.

And that inspired him to do quite stupid things, frankly.

But you know how first love is. You feel something for someone and then you learn that they married James Potter, and suddenly, they aren't your everything anymore. You move on, and they do too.

Or, as it happened in Severus' case, they moved on first.

No matter.

Still.

You don't want your first love to be hurt and her firstborn brutally murdered, no matter how long you moved on.

Or not so long, but then again.

So, it was only natural that when Severus heard that godforsaken prophecy and had reason to believe that there is a chance that the Dark Lord will think it's about the Potters, he had to intervene.

Yes, first he begged the Dark Lord to at least spare Lily Evans, knowing quite too well that the little one-year-old Harry had to die since the prophecy could mean him, and the Dark Lord was technically getting madder and madder.

And Severus won't ever crawl on his knees and beg for Potter's life, that much he knew. So he tried to save Lily.

Only, the Dark Lord didn't actually listen to him.

And how he owed his life to that goddamn Potter didn't help his conscience.

So he brewed an at least five-century-old potion which was so ancient it wasn't even written in English. But what were translation spells for?

And some ingredients were so rare or downright impossible to obtain that Severus had to improvise a substitute for them.

But at least it wasn't a potion that took a long time to brew, if you could both follow and sometimes ignore the written instructions well, and cared for a delicate type of potion in a way only a skilled Potion Master could. 

The potion meant to bring back the consumer's sanity by binding the Dark Lord's mind to an expert Occlumens, which role Severus could - luckily - also take.

He chose to administer it during a celebration, some Pureblood custom Severus didn't care much for since he didn't have any role in as 'just' a half-blood.

However, there was food. And even the Dark Lord had to have a goblet and some drink for the festive. So Severus could use the potion, and the alcohol masked the taste.

Thing was, he didn't know how much of the potion Voldemort had to inhabit for it to take an effect. 

So he put as much potion in the Dark Lord's goblet as he dared with magic, cleared his mind and waited.

After days of no result to speak of, Severus was convinced the recipe was a fake as well as the ancient text he had found it in.

But then, he felt something, like a splintering pain in his mind, as if it was parted in the middle by a burning hot metal rod without every warning, and he knew that this must have been it.

He didn't even have time to get up from the floor he collapsed to in his lab when it was over, and his Mark was burning next.

So, the Dark Lord knew who was responsible and wanted to torture him for it.

Severus only hoped his potion worked, because his torture would be not as lengthy then, but the didn't dare to fully cling into anything comforting just yet.

He might lose his life because of this, after all, if he plays his cards wrong.

That's why, when he arrived where Voldemort took residence, he just quickly sunk to his knees and bowed before the Dark Lord had a chance to say anything.

Which, of course, he did, just this way Severus could hang his head and avoid Voldemort's gaze. Only for a bit.

And then that bit he won't have to Occlude, and that spare power he can use to keep his shields up just a little bit more later, when tortured.

But then, the Dark Lord walked up to him.

"Severus. Do you know why I summoned you?"

"No, my Lord," he quickly said, because it was easier.

"Severus, you're not only a terrible liar but you're playing with dark magic you cannot understand. Did you actually think that if you restored my sanity I won't kill you for poisoning me?"

Severus' heart sink. But he still would answer. If he was going to die, he'd at least die not shaking and incoherent, but as a man who could keep his cool at least.

"My Lord, you have to understand. I promised to serve you, and therefore I had to do it. For your own good," he spoke the words but had little trust his words would change anything.

"As I don't doubt you are serving me, but also yourself, Severus," the Dark Lord said, and since there wasn't any Crucio or such accompanying his words, Severus dared the look up at him.

And, Voldemort was smiling. Straight down at him.

"Which, of course, is not a bad thing, rather quite the opposite. I value all my followers, Severus, but those who are smart and can make their fortune coincide with mine, I have to admit, I don't have many of," and, he walked up to Severus, and he pulled up Severus' chin with his hand.

The Potion Master by now realized that the spell worked and Voldemort's mind now was clearer than since years, but he still both sensed and dreaded a "but" coming.

"However, my dear Severus, I do think you didn't fully know the magic behind this miracle-potion you gave me," Voldemort added. "Would you care to know what it does?"

"Yes, my Lord," Severus answered, and had to close his eyes, bracing himself.

Then, what he heard had snapped them open again, making the Dark Lord laugh at him like he also hadn't in years.

&&&

James Potter now actually was an Auror with his partner in (the fight against) crime, Sirius Black, and every day he got home, he had to play with his super-adorable 4-year-old son, and tell his adorable wife about his day, so things were good.

Yet, Voldemort was gaining territories and alliances and somehow managed to outsmart Dumbledore lately many times, as if always one step before them.

And the Death Eaters were no longer deranged lunatics attacking random Muggles for no reason. They went after strategic people or buildings or documents.

And, from what James heard, Voldemort was pretty much insane by the time Snivellus joined him, yet now... 

He was the leader of everyone who had a beef against Dumbledore or Hogwarts, and that number turned out to be quite high and growing steadily.

Also, even if James wouldn't admit he thought this, not even to Sirius, Voldemort now seemed not only sane but quite a genius, really.

And then, when James thought it was all just a pretense and the Dark Lord was actually playing to be mad for some reason, they were handed this case with Sirius.

"So, to sum up," James started, but Padfoot interrupted with a huge grin.

"I love when you sum up what we know. Makes it easier to write the reports using your words."

"You are supposed to write your own reports, but anyway," James quickly recovered. "Death Eaters came to this Muggle's house, probably to spread fear in this very posh neighborhood, but they didn't count on the half-blood neighbor who came to the rescue and disarmed them all. So all three Death Eaters flee, but... It turns into a robbery when one of them decides to take the Muggle's jar of chocolate with them, risking his hide to steal it?"

"It's called Nutella, actually, Prongs, not chocolate, and maybe they got hungry," Sirius said. "Besides, if you actually tried it you'd know it's great."

"They didn't even take their wands, Padfoot," James said. "Is that how delicious it can be? Because I doubt it. And even if it was, why not just go to a supermarket and buy one?"

Only, James could curse himself and his question when a week later they were called to a supermarket where someone paid for what it seemed to be the store's whole stock of Nutella's with bewitched money that was charmed to disappear.

"Are we looking for a serial-Nutella-eater or eaters?" Sirius grinned after they got the shop owner's description of the chain of events. This time, there were two "strangely dressed man" who were the culprits. "Or maybe the cases aren't related."

James chucked at Padfoot's attempt of the joke, but for the love of Merlin, he had no idea what was going on.

"Is this a prank of some kind you think? The Death Eaters have come to prank rather than kill lately?"

"Well, now that you say so when was the last time they actually hurt someone for just the sake of it?" Sirius seemed to wonder out loud.

"Well, as long as the Nutella robbers are our main concern, I can go back home to Lily and Harry knowing everything's fine," James stated, making now Sirius tear up and blink at him. "Padfoot, I swear to Helga Hupplepuff, if you start to get sentimental, so will I."

But, by then, it was already too late, and he was brought to a bear hug by his best friend, and they didn't even know that the store manager now was looking at the very strange two cops that came to investigate via a store camera...

Just to see them hugging and then James tearing up as well.

&&&

Alright, so as it happens, Severus had to realize a marriage you accidentally initiated could still be legal according to wizarding customs, but that didn't mean he'd have to just succumb to it, did it?

In fact, he was furiously researching ways to get rid of the marriage bond between him and the dear Dark Lord he foolishly created with the potion he used. 

He was researching it for weeks. But then, it seemed as if he were to divorce his not lawfully wedded Voldy, he'd make the positive side effect - keeping the Dark Lord sane - disappear with it.

And again, Voldemort now started to change back to his once human self, and not only made rational decisions, but he took Severus' advice as well, and on the long run, they were winning this war without even as much of as a bloodshed.

And Dumbledore did hurt a lot of people, just as the establishment of Hogwarts did, so Severus wasn't against all revenge, just maybe not the killing...

He was tortured in Hogwarts because he was different, and now that Tom's mind seemed to return - and as he now spent a lot of time hanging around of Severus - Tom also told Severus how he was the same.

So they still had a score to settle, but then suddenly, Voldemort's means of accomplishing this changed.

For the first year, Sev actually hoped the Dark Lord would get crazy again, not trusting him a bit when Severus only had to voice a concern about their strategy and the Dark Lord already gave that as an order for everyone to follow.

For the second year, he actually thought of Lord Voldemort as another kind of idiot then he previously was, thinking Severus would ever as much be friends or confidants with him.

But for the third year? They were attacked and Voldemort was hurt actually shielding his followers from a mass attack of Dumbledore's Army.

And well. Severus first caught himself thinking of the Lord as "Tom", succeeded by how worried he was when he heard Tom was hurt and how relieved when he realized it was still nothing.

Lord Voldemort was now the strongest wizard ever, even surpassing Dumbledore. Not to mention, back to fully human and more charming than ever.

So yes, Severus wasn't as immune to him as he was when they were accidentally bonded.

But then... This was ridiculous.

At some time, Severus noted how he loved Muggle Nutella, for it was something he never had as a kid, or even available at Hogwarts, but it's not like he said he LOVED-loved-loved it and wanted to eat nothing but.

But then, some Death Eaters got in trouble and Voldemort instead of cursing them sent them to buy a jar.

And when Severus made the mistake of thanking the Dark Lord for the present, Tom actually got him always more and more.

Sev suspected it was a custom now that any Death Eater who failed a mission went shopping for it, and then Tom would bring it into his lab to use it as an excuse to visit him.

But then, Severus saw the title of the Prophet that was about the "Magical Muggle Sweet Heist" as they called it, and had to actually go to yell at Tom.

"I don't even like it anymore! I've already told you! Stop making people get more and more, my blood sugar is on the roof!" He said, only making the "evil" Dark Lord smile foxily at him in return.

"So what shall I order them to get you instead? Potion ingredients? A dozen shampoo bottles? Books? More shelves for your more books?"

He seemed to genuinely ask, yet he was also teasing with the shampoo part, and that annoyed Sev the most.

"Nothing! Just leave me alone for once!"

"But, we are married," Tom said, as he always used any occasion to emphasize that since it was true. "And you're my right-hand man, my strategist, and also, successor if anything should happen to me."

"I sincerely hope nothing will," Severus said. "But can you be ever so kind and put an end to this Nutella gathering?"

"But of course," Tom smiled. "Finally, you're asking things of me as a true husband! And since you do, consider it done."

"I take the previous sentiment back. One day you not only will be hurt, but I will dispose of you," Sev then just replied, irritated by Tom's flirting style and tone.

"But then again, my dear Severus, you could have done that. Just as easily as you restored my mind and asked me to leave the Potters alone, you could have just poisoned me, but you didn't."

"Maybe I just didn't want to risk my life, being caught after your death, by your followers."

"Or maybe, just maybe, somewhere deep you knew what that potion was doing and you still brewed it because you not only wanted me sane but wanted me."

"That's the most ridiculous theory I have ever hea-" Sev wanted to tell the man it was nonsense, but then, he was kissed.

Not by Lord Voldemort the snake-face, but Tom Riddle the superior wizard with great hair and piercing blue eyes, who could have ended Sev's life with a single motion of his hand, and yet were holding him instead...

So, by the third year, Severus' opinion slightly changed. And... He was ready to forget Lily Evans this time for real.

_fin ___


End file.
